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Monday, December 12, 2011

Medical Mondays: Ancient Birth Control

Good Monday to you all. Today, Luanne Smith of Bards and Prophets has a fascinating question for her novel.

"My character (this is in a post-apocalyptic setting) needs to be able to prevent pregnancy without *ahem* abstaining. There was/is a ferula plant (Silphium) that was said to be used in ancient times as a contraceptive. Apparently plants in this group have high levels of estrogen-like properties in them.

What I need to know is how would a plant like this be prescribed? Assuming it was readily available, would it need to be ingested everyday like the pill? Also, what side effects might my character experience after taking something like that for an extended amount of time (besides pregnancy, of course)?"

I've always found the need to control fertility a fascinating historical (and contemporary) subject. I even did a research paper on historical methods of birth control in med school. (Stones as IUDs? Crocodile dung as a spermicide? That's just a tiny bit of what I'd found.)

Herbal medicine has long been used as a means of controlling fertility. In a futuristic scenario, it would be conceivable (*ha ha*) that women might have to turn back to nature for contraceptive means.

Silphium is actually a now-extinct plant that was used in ancient Egypt and Greece, amongst other places. In fact, the heart-shaped seed may be the origin of why the heart shape is associated with romance.photo creditSilphium probably belonged in the genus Ferula, many of which are called "giant fennel." Although in the same family as true fennel, Ferula isn't truly a fennel plant.

These plants grow in the arid climates of western Asia and the Mediterranean region. In ancient Greek texts, there is plentiful discussion of using the Silphium juice once monthly to both prevent conception and as an abortifacient as well. Silphium's popularity in the ancient world may have led to its extinction.

So which Ferula plant might be used in Luanne's story? Possibly a species called Ferula Asafoetida.

Yes, you read that right. There is a "fetid" in that name. Some have called it "Devil's Dung." All parts of the plant have a pungent, fetid odor. However, the dried gum of the plant root, once cooked, has a more palatable onion/garlic flavor and it still used today in some kitchens around the world.

Medicinally, Asafoetida is a natural antiviral (it was studied as a treatment for H1N1 flu), aids digestion and reduces flatulence (maybe it should be marketed as Anti-Fetid?), as an asthma treatment, and an anti-seizure medicine.

Asafoetida is also a commonly known contraceptive and abortifaciant. However, I had some trouble finding out how it would be used as such. Silphium was taken once monthly. The juice of the plant (maybe half a teaspoonful) was enough to do the job. When thinking of how herbs are used medicinally, consider these methods:

Extract (herb soaked in alcohol, strong concentration of herb)

Tincture (herb soaked in alcohol, weaker concentration of herb)

Infusion (herb soaked in hot water)

Decoction (herb boiled in water)

Ingested directly. (In Luanne's case, the gum from the root of the plant was cooked and eaten with food. This is the most likely method used, but again, I'm just guessing.)

Applied topically (like in a poultice)

Boiled and steam inhaled

Burned and smoke inhaled

Since Asafoetida has been long used as a spice, likely there is no serious long term side effect from taking it continuously, but of course there aren't any studies on this.

One last thing. Ferula Asafoetida grows mainly in India, Afghanistan, and Iran. For contraceptive herbs native to North America, also consider:

Black Cohosh

Wild Carrot (related to Ferula)

Queen Anne's lace (also related to Ferula)

Smartweed (Polygonum Hydropiper)

Here are some references I used to research this question. Good luck, Luanne!

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Fascinating discussion. Woman have long sought to control their own fertility and ancient herbal wisdom that allowed them to do that was never totally eradicated as the church intended. One of my characters in my own work-in-progress has to deal with just this subject. Nirvana's song, Pennyroyal Tea comes to mind. We cannot be stymied and controlled by men.

One of my great-great grandmothers was visited by an Indian woman who took one look at her three young children and said "Too many, too fast." She mixed up a concoction and gave it to my great-great grandmother and she had no more children. Would love to know what that Indian woman gave her!

Thanks again for answering those questions for me. It is something I think women today may take for granted somewhat, but that wasn't always the case. I find it absolutely fascinating that a plant was used to extinction by women wanting to prevent pregnancy.

Interesting! In Elizabeth Gaffney's novel Metropolis, the gang women used half a lemon as a cervical cap or diaphragm. They left the lemon in place for a week or so. I presume the citric acid is a spermicide, but I always wondered how well it would work.

But lemons might be readily available in a dystopia in a warm climate, especially if climate change is part of the story.

wow, this was a super post, such fascinating information. I always wondered how the ancients sorted out which plants did what. Did shamans have intuition? Did they experiment on folks? Did they try plants out as food and discover side effects? All of this is so interesting.

My husband and I are devout Catholics and use the sympto-thermal method of Natural Family Planning. No plants needed. 100% effective. And, yeah, I'm not a nut. I think all marrieds should use NFP. Once you study it, it makes so much sense. I think people don't talk about it, because the drug industry makes people like me seem like freaks. Totally not. Well, not about this subject, anyway. :)

O.M.G.--Lydia! I NEEDED your brain when I was working on my last MS. Argh. Oh, well. Too late. I just winged it and hoped for suspension of disbelief. Shakespeare used anachronisms, right? ;p I did find that bit about the stones, though. Ew.

Anyway, next time, I swear. Coming to you first. This is a great post, and thanks for the links! :o)

Thanks for the interesting post and links to your research sources. Herb lore is one of my favorite subjects. I have used fennel essential oil for stomach upset (my own), and it works quite well. Just rub-a-dub it on the tummy, and there is instant relief. I don't have to worry about birth control anymore, but I'm wondering if it might have an adverse effect on someone else's pregnancy? The only oil that I know for sure is safe for pregnant women is lavender.

amazing .I know women used to perform abortions by sitting on a pot of hot water letting the steam with whatever was in the water into their system and then it happenedhave no idea what this was all about.

May I offer another perspective? Pennyroyal (which smells like mint and doesn’t taste too bad) was the traditional herb used to ‘induce menstruation’. The oil from the plant can be toxic (it is still used to repel fleas, flies, mosquitoes) and, for that reason, it was used sparingly and mixed with other herbs like catnip and hellebore. To be safe, you could give your character a tea made from those herbs, plus cypress, rue, sage and savory. She should drink a cup of it 3 x day for up to a week. I don’t know if all of those plants are indigenous to the US, but if they are not and if your novel is set in the future, surely someone could have found a way to sneak the plants into the country by then!

In a pinch, quinine can work (if your character drinks A LOT of tonic water), and if she has malaria, the quinine can cure her as well as abort the foetus. But the one sure-fire method was dilation and curettage (which even Hippocrates used). Just make sure the characters keep everything really clean and know that that method is awfully painful.

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